Santorum still doesn't qualify for Ind. ballot (Updated)

By Emily Schultheis

02/06/12 11:30 AM EST

Rick Santorum announced this morning that his campaign had found additional signatures that would qualify the candidate for the Indiana ballot — the campaign's last attempt at competing in a state Santorum himself has named as important to his candidacy.

"We've found 49 petition-signers who were incorrectly rejected by Marion Co BOE," Santorum tweeted earlier this morning. "I expect to be on IN ballot first thing this morning."

Santorum failed to make the ballot last week after coming up 24 signatures short in Marion County, Ind., the county that includes the state capital of Indianapolis. Indiana requires 500 signatures in each of the state's nine congressional districts, for a total of 4,500 signatures statewide. Santorum filed 476 valid signatures in Marion County.

Cindy Mowery, the Republican board member in Marion County's voter registration department, confirmed that Santorum's campaign dropped off additional signatures and said the Board of Elections is reviewing them. In the meantime, Mowery said, the county stands by its original decision and doesn't think the new signatures will change that decision.

"We don’t believe that they’re valid but we’ll take a second look," she said.

Failing to qualify for the Indiana ballot was a big slip-up for Santorum, who has often touted his ability to win in working-class and blue-state America and named Indiana as a key swing state he could carry against President Barack Obama.

UPDATE: Mowery told the Associated Press this evening that the signatures were deemed invalid, and that Santorum will still not appear on the state's ballot.